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Annabelle Lee series
Annabelle Lee series — by Stacey Jay Genres and Sub-Genres Urban Fantasy Series Description or Overview Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dreams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town. But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a sixyear- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle’s life is imploding: between relationship drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run—from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of a darkness waiting just for her. . . . ~ Goodreads Lead's Species *human, immune to the faerie toxin Primary Supe * Faeries, killer poisonous faeries What Sets it Apart *Liller poisonous faeries the size of mosquitios Narrative Type and Narrators * First Person narrative told by Annabelle Lee. Books in Series Annabelle Lee series: # Dead on the Delta (2011) # Blood on the Bayou (2012) Themes World Building Setting Donaldsonville, in the Bayou, Louisiana Places: * New Orleans, Louisiana * Camellia Grove * Restalin * Swallows * Beauchamps Supernatural Elements ✥ Faeries, killer poisonous faeries, mysterious lab, , , , , Glossary: * Breeze: potent drug described as "dried fairy crap mixed with bleach—the new crack"— when a person takes Breeze even once, he or she is doomed to eventual death; * Breeze house: trailer in which someone is concocting Breeze 'Groups & Organizations': * Fairy Containment and Control (FCC): government agency—Annabelle is an agent; * "The Invisibles": unknown group that Annabelle calls the Invisibles; * Fairy Investigation Division: division of the FBI; * The Kings: street gang World ✥ In this world, a great mutation occurred some years ago among the fairies, and they now have the strength and the venom to bite and kill humans. The fairy infestation area covers much of the Deep South, including Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. Unfortunately for most humans, fairy bites are fatal. People either die instantly or they linger until they go insane and finally die. The final 5% are immune, and most of them have jobs that put them in contact with the fairies in ways that the rest of the population could not handle. Annabelle is one of those lucky few, although she has mixed feelings about that. :"There are times...when I wish I wasn't part of the lucky 5%. But I know I'm in the minority on that....Most immune people think they've been blessed, that collecting fairy shit and egg sacs is a holy calling. They feel lucky when they're called in to do non-immune people's work for them." (p. 5) The fairies are repelled by iron, which kills them if they ingest it. Only a few towns are left in the infested area, and each one is enclosed by a huge iron fence, with all the buildings connected by iron cables. The area outside the fences is now wilderness, inhabited only by water-dwelling wildlife, fierce highwaymen, and hordes of fairies. The fairies can't get to many of the alligators, snakes, and other reptiles because they can hide underwater. People travel from city to city in iron-armored vans. The one and only advantage of the fairy infestation is they have eaten up most of the mosquitoes—their source for second-hand human blood. Jobs for immune people are plentiful, ranging from low-level sample-gathering to upper-level research positions. Annabelle, who in earlier years was a pre-med student, has opted to spend the past six years at the very lowest level of the FCC. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction: ANNABELLE LEE SERIES Protagonist ✥ Annabelle Lee; In her current job, she goes out beyond the fence to collect fairy excrement and egg sacs from the bayous and turns them in to her boss in Baton Rouge to be used by scientists who are trying to find a cure for the fatal fairy venom. For this, Annabelle is paid a substantial sum of money, much more than she needs to sustain her shabby life style. Annabelle lives in a low-rent house, wears thrift-store-level clothes, and spends little money on food. Her main expense—and her primary recreation—is drinking various alcoholic beverages, from beer to bloody Marys to rum 'n Coke to whatever is available. She tells herself that she is content because she loves Donaldsonville and its people, and she doesn't have to commit to anyone or anything. Her inability to commit even applies to her possessions, of which there are very few. She doesn't even own a car; she gets around on a bicycle with a small "trailer" attached to the rear to carry her equipment. As Annabelle explains, the reason she rides a bicycle instead of a car is "because I'm rarely sober after five o'clock." (p. 89) Annabelle has had some tragedy in her past. When she and her sister were on a camping trip when they were in their teens, her sister was attacked and bitten by fairies and died in Annabelle's arms. Annabelle's wealthy mother never forgave Annabelle for being the daughter who survived, and so she ran away from her upper-class home and has not communicated with her family for many years. She spent the next years in a group home, where she became best friends with Marcy, the director. Later, while in med school, she had a long-term romantic relationship with Herbert Mitchell Rideau ("Hitch"), which seemed like it was heading into a happy future. Then, there was a horrible incident that caused their immediate break-up. At that point, Annabelle quit school, moved to Donaldsonville, and took up her laid-back, disheveled, alcohol-fogged life. Her friend, Marcy also lives in Donaldsonville, so Annabelle has at least one close friend. As the series opens, Annabelle has been in a relationship with Cane Cooper, a sexy police detective, for over a year. He's pressuring her for a commitment, but Annabelle's not ready, and she's not sure that she ever will be. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction: ANNABELLE LEE SERIES Book Cover Blurbs ✤ BOOK ONE—Dead on the Delta (2011): Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dreams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town. But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a sixyear- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle’s life is imploding: between relationship drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run—from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of a darkness waiting just for her. ~ Goodreads | Dead on the Delta (Annabelle Lee, #1) by Stacey Jay ✤ BOOK TWO—Blood on the Bayou (2012): The second book in a new urban fantasy series featuring mosquito-sized fairies with poisonous bites that drive humans insane. It's only been three weeks since Annabelle helped solve the murder of Grace Beauchamp, and in the process, she discovered a secret world of invisible, magic-working people who have decided she might have what it takes to join their ranks. As best as she can determine, Annabelle’s attack by a group of fairies has infected her with paranormal ability she did not previously possess, including being able to mentally move objects and heal wounds. Her new abilities appear to have few negative side effects, aside from creepy dreams. But would that change if she stopped injecting herself with the mystery drug delivered to her by the even more mysterious Tucker, one of the Invisibles? Leery of trusting criminals with her health, Annabelle wishes she had someone she could talk to about the changes in her life. Enter Hitch, FBI agent and Annabelle's ex, who's back in Donaldsonville on an off-the-books investigation. Hitch suspects that there's a government-funded illegal lab that’s developing a controversial fairy-killing spray that could adversely affect the existence of every living thing in the delta—including humans. And Hitch and Annabelle will have to find a way to work together if they're going to find a way to shut it down. ~ Goodreads | Blood on the Bayou (Annabelle Lee, #2) by Stacey Jay Category:Series